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Kapitel 57

At that moment, a kneeling imperial physician spoke up to defend the emperor: "Your Majesty, the death of the Third Princess was not due to our incompetence, but rather to other reasons."

Xiao Xuan, her face streaked with tears, stopped crying and said, "You still dare to argue! Other reasons? What other reasons? It's clearly your incompetence that's causing this, yet you dare to make excuses to fool me!"

"Your Majesty, the Third Princess died of anger, not from ineffective medical treatment."

Xiao Xuan was taken aback. She stood up from her chair and looked at the imperial physicians kneeling on the ground, asking, "She was angered to death? Who dared to anger her? Speak!"

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Seeing the group of imperial physicians stammering, Xiao Xuan flew into a rage and roared, "I'm telling you to speak! Are you deaf or mute?"

"The princess was driven to her death by her husband."

"What?" Xiao Xuan exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked at the imperial physician. "What did you say? Explain yourself clearly to me!" The Empress Dowager replied, "Ever since the Empress Dowager sent the lady-in-waiting Xian Shi to the驸马府 (驸马府, the residence of the驸马, to serve the princess), she and the驸马 had been having an affair. At first, they did it secretly, but later they became bolder. Finding the princess a nuisance, they began flirting openly in front of her. The Third Princess, enraged and weakened by her disability, died of anger in her bed."

Hearing the imperial physician's words, Xiao Xuan slumped back into her chair, her voice trembling as she asked, "Is what you're saying true?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not conceal anything from you. Everything I have said is true. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can ask the other imperial physicians who also treated the princess. You will know the truth once you ask them."

Upon hearing Xiao Xuan's words, the other imperial physicians, before Xiao Xuan could even ask them, kowtowed and said in unison, "Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly."

She slumped into the chair, utterly exhausted, sitting there listlessly. Seeing her like this, Longxu quickly went to Xiaoxuan's side and called out, "Step back." Then, he and Han Derang helped Xiaoxuan back to her dormitory and laid her down on the bed.

"Mother! Mother! What's wrong?" Seeing Xiaoxuan's lifeless eyes, Longxu was terrified and kept calling out to Xiaoxuan.

"Longxu, tell your mother, where is Yange? I'll tell her. She's the smallest one. I told her not to run around, but she always does. This time she's gone somewhere again, and she hasn't even come home."

"Mother!" Hearing Xiaoxuan's words, Longxu felt even more frightened. He softly called out "Mother" while gently patting Xiaoxuan's chest. "Mother, calm down, don't think too much. Little sister is gone. Mother, you must relax and not think nonsense."

Xiao Xuan sighed upon hearing this and murmured to herself, "Yes, didn't the imperial physician just tell me that she was angered to death by the prince consort? How could Mother have remembered wrong? Mother thought she had run away and hidden away to play again." She closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears flowed down Xiao Xuan's cheeks.

Longxu and Han Derang stayed by the bedside, watching Xiaoxuan with her eyes closed but tears streaming down her face. They didn't know how to comfort her. Suddenly, Xiaoxuan sat up and said, "Someone, prepare the carriage. I'm going to the Prince Consort's residence."

"Mother, that matter isn't urgent. Everyone involved will be implicated. You should rest for a couple of days and go when you feel better."

"Prepare the carriage immediately, I'm going now!" Xiao Xuan roared, then raised her sleeve to wipe away all the tears on her face. Longxu and Han Derang exchanged glances, knowing that they probably couldn't persuade her at this point, so they could only follow her to the Prince Consort's residence.

Xiao Xuan had three daughters. Her eldest daughter was Princess Zhuyin of Qi, whose husband was Xiao Jixian, who was adopted into the Xiao family. Her second daughter was Princess Changshou of Wei, whose husband was Xiao Paiya. Her third daughter was Yanshou, who married Xiao Hengde, the younger brother of the second husband, Xiao Paiya.

Xiao Hengde was known for his bravery and skill in battle, and had made many contributions to the Liao Dynasty. Therefore, Xiao Xuan had a good impression of him. She never expected that he would do something so disrespectful to the princess. No, she had to find out the truth!

Fuming with anger, Xiao Xuan, along with Long Xu and Han Derang, entered the Prince Consort's residence. Upon entering, Xiao Xuan didn't linger, heading straight for the postpartum room. Before even entering, she heard a baby crying. Pushing open the door, disregarding any notion of good or bad fortune, Xiao Xuan went to the bedside, picked up her grandson, and looked at the crying child, saying, "Baby, don't cry, Grandma's here." She gently patted the child, who immediately stopped crying, looking at Xiao Xuan with teary eyes.

Xiao Xuan said to the wet nurses in the room, "Take me to see the Prince Consort immediately!"

The wet nurse never expected that the Empress Dowager would arrive so suddenly. Feeling dizzy, she hurriedly knelt down and said, "Yes, yes." After saying that, she stood up and led Xiao Xuan towards the Prince Consort's room.

No one knows how much courage a person can have. But Xiao Hengde's courage was so great that he dared to indulge in pleasure with a maid even before the princess was buried. He hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to arrive at this time, currently embracing Xian Shi in bed. He thought that by using the excuse of keeping vigil for the Third Princess to stay in the mansion and fool around with Xian Shi, no one would suspect anything. But by sheer coincidence, their affair was discovered by Xiao Xuan, who had come herself to witness it.

Standing in front of Xiao Hengde's bedroom door, Xiao Xuan gestured for Han Derang to open it. Han Derang hurriedly stepped forward and pushed, but couldn't open it, indicating the door was bolted from the inside. Just as everyone was debating whether to knock, they heard the soft, coquettish sounds of a man and woman coming from inside. Feeling disgusted, Xiao Xuan gestured for Long Xu to kick the door open. Long Xu, without hesitation, kicked the door, breaking the bolt that held it in place, and the group entered the room. Wisps of incense smoke drifted from the incense burner on the table, filling the room with a romantic, sensual atmosphere.

Upon seeing someone intrude, the person inside the large bed tent seemed to panic, first screaming, then falling silent.

Xiao Xuan carried her grandson toward the bed and said to Han Derang, who was beside her, "Lift up the curtains."

Han Derang glanced at the tent and hesitated for a moment, then looked at Xiao Xuan. Xiao Xuan shouted angrily, "Didn't you hear me tell you to lift the tent?"

Frowning, Han Derang sighed and slowly lifted the tent flap. Inside, a man and a woman were trembling in panic, covering their bodies with a blanket.

Gently patting her grandson in her arms, and looking at Xiao Hengde and Xian Shi in the tent, Xiao Xuan's face revealed a deep smile.

"Xiao Hengde, good! I never knew you had this trick up your sleeve! Yanshou'er has always been gentle and virtuous, yet you look down on such a woman and instead seduce Xian Shi. What's going on in your head? My Yanshou'er bore you a child, and you're having an affair with Xian Shi. Yanshou hasn't even been buried yet, and you're already indulging in your love affair with her. So this is how you feel about Yanshou'er. It's all my fault for being blind and marrying Yanshou to you, which is why she died so tragically. Heaven has really been kind to me, Xiao Chuo, at least allowing me to see the true nature of you, the Third Prince Consort, before I die!"

"Please calm down, Mother! Please forgive me, Mother! I will never do it again!" Xiao Hengde cried, kneeling on the bed.

"You dare not do it again? Do you think I, Xiao Chuo, have many daughters? How many Yanshou?" Xiao Xuan roared, then fixed her gaze on Xian Shi.

"You, wise sir, are truly something else! After serving me for so many years, how dare you do this to my daughter? You have the audacity to do such a thing! Who do you take my daughter for? How dare you seduce the imperial son-in-law and cause the death of Yanshou. Fine, since you are heartless and ruthless, don't blame me for being heartless! I want to see just how bold you are to do such a heinous thing."

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I was wrong, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Xiao Xuan ignored the pleas of the two people on the bed, turned around and walked out of the room, saying to the guards standing outside, "Guards, go in and kill Xian Shi, and take out her gall to offer as a sacrifice to the princess."

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter 109 Burial

Updated: 2008-09-23 16:43:32 Word Count: 2522

Han Derang was startled by what he heard, and Longxu was also taken aback. They were both about to persuade Xiaoxuan when they saw Xiaoxuan holding her little grandson in her arms, walking shakily into the courtyard, sitting on the stone bench and shedding tears. The two swallowed back the words that were on the tip of their tongues.

"Mother, please don't be angry." Longxu comforted her while gently tucking a stray white hair behind Xiaoxuan's ear.

Xiao Xuan gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "Longxu, how many more years does your mother have to live? These people are taking advantage of your old age. They dare to do such things even though you're not dead yet. If you die, won't they be lawless? I can't swallow this insult, I really can't swallow this insult!"

Hearing the screams from inside the house, Xiao Xuan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve, and saw Xiao Hengde, wrapped in a quilt, run out of the house and kneel down in front of her.

"Mother, it was Huai De who was wrong. Please forgive Huai De for the sake of the child in your arms."

"Hmph!" Xiao Xuan stood up, glaring at Xiao Hengde and cursing, "You still remember you have a child? He's not even a month old and you've already done this? You still have the nerve to talk to me? Xiao Hengde, you don't need to worry about this child anymore, I'll raise him for you. Longxu, convey my decree: posthumously confer upon your sister Yanshou the title of Princess of Yue, and bury her immediately. Your husband, Xiao Hengde, is to be executed! He will be buried with her!"

With those harsh words, Xiao Xuan carried the child and walked out of the mansion. Behind her, Xiao Hengde, his face filled with astonishment, stared in disbelief at Xiao Xuan's retreating figure. He couldn't believe that this usually kind and gentle Empress Dowager would issue such a cruel order.

He forgot that she was the Empress Dowager. He thought she was old and nothing to fear. At that moment, he realized his mistake, but it was too late.

"Mother, please forgive me! Mother, I will never dare to do it again!" he muttered to himself, but Xiao Xuan could no longer hear him. Perhaps even if she had heard him, she would have remained unmoved.

They returned to the palace in a carriage. Xiao Xuan, carrying the child, was about to return to her chambers when she seemed to remember something. She instructed Longxu, who was following behind her, "Longxu, all members of the royal family must attend the funeral of your sister, the Princess of Yue. No one is to be absent."

She wanted to teach these royal relatives a lesson. She wanted them to know who she was.

Holding her grandson, she returned to her dormitory, and tears welled up in her eyes, flowing down her wrinkled skin and dripping onto her grandson's swaddling clothes.

The funeral of the Yue princess shocked the royal family and nobles, and filled the court officials and common people with fear. Over the years, as the nation gradually prospered and grew stronger, far removed from the ravages of war, people had slowly forgotten the gray-haired Empress Dowager. This event, however, brought her back to their memories, and to their names. She was warning everyone that her authority was inviolable.

Yanshou is gone. She only has two daughters, Guanyin and Changshou. Seven children in total: Longxu, Longqing, Longyu, and Zheng Ge, who is wandering far away. She loved them all. When they were little, she would pick them up herself, brush the dirt off them, and help them continue walking. Now that she's old, walking and moving around have become difficult. She had hoped that her children would grow up and help her walk, as far as they could, for as long as they could. But now, one of the children who helped her walk is gone forever.

In the following year, Xiaoxuan took meticulous care of the child, pouring all her longing for Yanshou into this grandson, and named him Yanqing.

Emperors Longxu, Longqing, and Longyu, along with their sons-in-law Xiao Jixian and Xiao Paiya, would often visit the palace in their spare time to play with the young Yanqing.

Feeling guilty towards Xiao Xuan, Xiao Paiya always treated her with utmost respect whenever she came. Seeing the reserved Xiao Paiya, Xiao Xuan comforted him, saying, "Paiya, I know you and Hengde are both imperial consorts and brothers. My actions are simply to give Yanshou an explanation. As the imperial consort, I only hope you will behave well, treat the princess kindly, and not follow Hengde's example by doing things that disappoint me. My decision to punish Hengde was also my own will. You must not take your anger out on Changshou because I ordered your brother to be buried alive with me, thus ruining your relationship."

Xiao Hengde knelt down and cried, “Your Majesty, the matter of the Yue Kingdom princess was indeed my brother’s fault. Pai Ya failed to take good care of my brother, causing Your Majesty such great grief. Pai Ya is also deeply saddened. I am already overjoyed that Your Majesty has not blamed me for Hengde’s matter. How could I dare to have any other thoughts?”

Looking at Xiao Paiya, Xiao Xuan nodded and said, "I trust both you and Jixian. I used to trust Hengde a lot, but I never expected something like this to happen. I never imagined that he, as the princess's husband, would be having an affair with a maid during the princess's maternity leave."

At this point, another wave of pain washed over her, and she couldn't help but cry. Seeing this, Xiao Paiya quickly knelt down and went to Xiao Xuan's side, raising his sleeve to wipe away her tears. A mother-in-law and a son-in-law embraced and wept bitterly together.

In the capital, some people shed tears of sorrow, while in Nanjing, some felt heartache but could not cry.

"Cough cough," a cough could be heard from time to time in a mansion in Nanjing.

Hugh patted his chest lightly as he picked up a pen and wrote on the letter in front of him: "Zhong Xuan." What does "Zhong Xuan" mean? He remembered the first time he met her, she told him her name was Zhong Xuan.

"Cough cough cough," another coughing fit followed. Hugh put down his calligraphy brush, walked to the door, opened it, and looked outside.

How are you? In my eyes, you were like the pearl you wore on your chest, dazzling and radiant. And I, too, have come this far because of your guidance.

"Yu Yue, King Song, no need for obeisance. You've given me everything you could, yet I'm still greedy, wanting that woman whose name you call Zhong Xuan. Am I, Yelü Xiuge, too greedy? She's already given me so much, yet I still want more." Stepping out of the room, Xiuge surveyed the entire courtyard, a sorrowful smile on his face. "Yu Yue, King Song, perhaps this isn't what I wanted. Those battles, those cities I conquered, were all gifts I gave you, hoping you'd look at me closely, hoping to hear your excited praise. Among all the ministers, why did you ultimately choose Han Derang, and not me, who also bears the surname Yelü? My achievements exist for you. Those you asked me to protect, I risked my life to safeguard. You told me not to kill a single innocent person, and I never raised my sword against the innocent. Yet, you don't want someone like me."

What does it matter if it's Yu Yue, or the King of Song? When I see you beside the late Emperor, holding your child and beaming with joy, how I wish I were the one standing beside you. Perhaps, back in Han territory, I shouldn't have brought you back. I should have taken you far away; perhaps then one day you would have fallen in love with me. I was stubborn, and to obey the king's orders and avoid eternal infamy, I escorted you all the way back to the capital. I thought you would fall in love with me then, and never again envy that man who escorted Jingniang a thousand miles, because in your life, there was also a man who had traveled a thousand miles to bring you back to the Xiao family.

I am neither an emperor nor a king, yet I have given you far more than any emperor could ever give you, but you have never cared. I remain in this city of Nanjing, guarding the border day and night for you, still foolishly thinking of you, all of which you are unaware of.

I remember your apprehensive smile when we first met, and I remember your clear, melodious voice as you spoke the first words to me: "Hello, my name is Zhong Xuan."

Zhong Xuan, do you know that the person who picked you up and carried you on his shoulders doesn't want to put you down? He wants to hold you like that for the rest of his life.

Empress of Khitan - Empress Dowager of Khitan Chapter 110 Praying to Buddha

Updated: 2008-09-23 16:43:53 Word Count: 2682

In the chaos of rebellions by princes, I, Yelü Xiuge, never rebelled. It wasn't that I lacked the ability, but rather that I feared hearing the word "bad person" from your lips. When the late emperor passed away, you were deeply grieved. I shouldn't have stood by and watched you weep; I should have embraced you. I missed the best opportunity to be with you. Perhaps having you was simple, but I chose to give up time and time again, until you chose Han Derang.

If I had told you before that you were the one I loved and the one I wanted most as my wife, things might have been different.

I can't deny that Han Derang still loves you, but I like you just as much. I was so foolish, so foolish, missing so many opportunities to be with you.

"Yelü Xiuge, you're a coward!" Xiuge thought to himself, standing in the courtyard with his eyes closed. "Why didn't you tell her that you liked her too? When she was hesitating, why didn't you stand in front of her and say, 'I like you, I've liked you from the first moment I saw you!' Everyone in this Liao Dynasty says you're an iron-fisted empress dowager, but I, Xiuge, know how gentle and kind your heart is."

Hugh straightened his clothes and walked towards the door. He rode his horse towards the towering pagoda in the city. When he arrived at the pagoda, Hugh dismounted and knelt before it, his eyes empty, and his heart even emptier.

I can't take anything with me in this life—not your gentleness, not your smile, not even a single strand of your hair. I can only take your name, whether it's Xiao Chuo or Zhong Xuan; all I take is your name. When I leave this world, will you still remember my name? Will you still remember the days we rode the same horse together?

Buddha, have you heard my cry? I, Yelü Xiuge, love that woman, if there truly is an afterlife. I no longer desire this glory, no longer desire this wealth, I only wish to be with her. To spend time with her under the flowers and moon, growing old together. To have her bear me, Yelü Xiuge, a multitude of children.

Buddha, have you heard my cry? If you are truly merciful, then let me, in the next life, in the next cycle of reincarnation, hold her hand, kiss her lips, let her nestle against my chest, and watch the sunrise and sunset together. Whether it is five hundred years or a thousand years, I am willing to wait and exchange it.

Standing up, Hugh walked up the steps of the pagoda and came to its front. He gently stroked each of the exquisitely carved Buddha statues.

You promised me, you promised me.

With each Buddha statue he touched, he silently murmured a phrase, and with each statue, he silently called out its name. And so he walked slowly, step by step, gently touching each Buddha statue until he had touched every one he could reach.

He looked up at the Buddha statue at the highest point, which he could no longer reach. He smiled sadly.

Can you help me? In the next cycle of reincarnation, grant my wish. Looking at the red setting sun on the horizon, Hugh descended the stone steps, mounted his horse, and slowly walked towards the Song Prince's Mansion in Nanjing. The setting sun cast a golden glow behind him, stretching his tall figure infinitely.

The phrase "holding hands and growing old together" belongs to someone else in this life, not to him.

That night, Xiu Ge left this world, taking the name in his heart with him, and departed from the land of Khitan forever. He left quietly, not wanting anyone to worry about him or shed tears for him.

There are many kinds of love in this world. Some love is great, some is tragic. Some love binds the beloved tightly, while others choose to let go, allowing the beloved to choose her own happiness. He chose to let go; he wanted her to be happy, he didn't want her to be troubled or suffer for him, he only wanted her to be happy. He's gone now, there's no turning back. If time could turn back, he would choose again, to start over for her.

Let me leave quietly. Before I go, let me write your name and hide it in my heart. Let me take it with me, take the memories of you with me. That is all my happiness.